Businesses across Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe are gearing up for a promising holiday season, according to a recent survey by Federal Express Corporation (FedEx). Conducted in September 2025, the survey gathered insights from 850 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 850 consumers in 13 APAC markets, alongside over 1,200 SMEs in nine European markets. The findings reveal that over 70% of APAC SMEs and 80% of European SMEs expect improved holiday sales compared to last year.
The survey highlights the significant impact of major shopping festivals like Double 11, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. These events are seen as critical by 91% of APAC SMEs and 83% of European SMEs for capturing seasonal demand. Additionally, 88% of APAC consumers plan to conduct at least a quarter of their holiday shopping online, with more than half intending to increase their digital purchases compared to last year.
Efficient shipping remains a top priority for APAC shoppers, with nearly nine in ten citing it as essential. However, delivery delays and high shipping costs continue to be major pain points. More than half of APAC consumers indicated that lower shipping costs and faster delivery times would increase their likelihood of purchasing from European sellers.
To meet these expectations, nearly one-third of businesses in both regions are enhancing their fulfilment and delivery operations. Over one-third are also strengthening customer service capabilities. Encouragingly, 85% of businesses in both APAC and Europe are confident about meeting delivery deadlines this holiday season.
FedEx is supporting these efforts with integrated digital logistics solutions, such as FedEx Ship Manager integrations with Shopify and BigCommerce, and services like FedEx International Connect Plus. These tools aim to streamline order fulfilment and improve delivery speed and reliability, helping e-tailers deliver exceptional customer experiences during the busy holiday period.
